WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Squadrons, available now from EA on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
EA's flight simulator video game, Star Wars: Squadrons, is immersed in the universe of the galaxy far, far away. The game starts off right after the destruction of the planet Alderaan, as seen in the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope. However, after an introductory mission, the action then jumps forward four years, to place the main events of the game shortly after the conclusion of Return of the Jedi.
Despite the game taking place after the Original Trilogy, Squadrons shows that it is tightly woven into the larger Star Wars universe. In fact, it makes a direct reference to the events of an episode from Season 2 of the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
Star Wars Rebels is an animated series that ran for four seasons, from 2014 to 2018. The series followed the crew of the Ghost, as they worked to slowly become part of a larger Rebellion to fight back against the Empire. The events of the series preceded those of A New Hope by several years, but it still featured some recognizable guests such as Lando Calrissian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia and Wedge Antilles.
It's through Wedge that Squadrons weaves a connection to Rebels. In the video game, Wedge appears as a special guest to lead a mission to take over and steal an Imperial Star Destroyer. During the mission briefing, Wedge addresses the player directly, and he compares himself to the commander of the Rebellion's Vanguard Squadron, Lindon Javes, who defected from the Empire at the start of the game.
"Your commander and I have something in common," Wedge tells the player. "I once flew for the Empire, too. At Skystrike Academy. Turning to the Rebellion was the smartest move I ever made. I wish more of my friends had done the same."
Here, Wedge is referencing the events of the Star Wars Rebels Season 2 episode, "The Antilles Extraction." In the episode, the nascent Rebellion is on a search for new pilots, and thanks to an informer, they learns that several Imperial pilots from the Skystrike Flight Academy are ready to defect.
Sabine Wren goes undercover at the Academy, and she find Wedge and two other pilots, Robbie and Rake, who want to join the Rebellion. Unfortunately, the extraction mission cost the life of Rake, so only Wedge and Robbie make it out, but both would become important Rebel pilots.
The reference is brief, but it's unmistakable to fans of Star Wars Rebels. What's more, it shows that all of the Star Wars movies, series and video games are truly, tightly connected.
Star Wars: Squadrons is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.